Preview: Wizards host Cavaliers Monday

Feb 6, 2023 - 12:00 AM

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The Washington Wizards had a good run of six consecutive wins, only to have it cut short by.... ice-rain in Dallas that led to the Wizards game in Detroit being postponed, and instead the Wizards managed to squander a 20-point lead over the Portland Trail Blazers at home and somehow lose to a team featuring two undersized guards and a tired center. Then, they managed to do almost the same thing but worse by squandering a 23-point lead in Brooklyn and lose to the star-less, disarrayed and on the verge of implosion Nets. Now they head back home to host the Cavaliers who are one of the best teams in the league right now. So that’s how the SoWizards look nearing the trade deadline.

Game Info

When: Monday, February 6 at 7:00 p.m. ET

Where: Capital One Arena, D.C.

How to watch: LeaguePass

Injury Report

Wizards: Anthony Gill, Bradley Beal, Kyle Kuzma (out)

Cavaliers: Caris LeVert (day-to-day)

Pre-game notes

The Wizards can’t help themselves — The Wizards won six in a row. However, as soon as things look up the Wizards, as usual, start to be careless and not focused and not take their opponents seriously. Losing big leads is a typical Wizards thing from these past several years.

Kyle Kuzma’s remarks — Remarks by players near the trade deadline always come under the microscope, but this swipe at the coaching staff is not even subtle.... by the guy the Wizards really want to keep, but he presumably would like to actually play competitive basketball, i.e., elsewhere:

Oh, and did I mention Dinwiddie’s comments....? The Wizards really just seem to play as the ex-Wizards described: to get paid, led of course by Beal’s example.

Flashback: An OT loss a couple months ago.

Here are the highlights from the first match-up between the two teams in October: